“You be good for your mother while I’m gone, okay?”
Luca nods with exaggerated seriousness. “I will.”
Dante’s mouth twitches faintly at that. He presses one more kiss to Luca’s forehead before straightening. Then he turns to me.
Everything inside me locks up. I try not to freeze when he reaches for me. Not because I don’t want him to touch me but because I know this will be the last time he ever does. My heart splinters at the thought when his fingers slide along my jaw, steady and familiar.
He leans down and kisses me.
It’s soft. Chaste, even. It lingers long enough that my lungs burn from holding my breath. If I didn’t know better, I would think he senses something is off. There’s a weight behind this kiss that’s never been there before, something unspoken pressing between us.
But in the days leading up to this, he’s been… normal. Protective and a little overbearing, sure, but nothing out of character for a man who nearly lost the woman he loves.
He pulls back slowly. His thumb brushes over my cheek, catching just beneath my eye as if checking for tears that might have fallen.
“I love you,” he whispers.
The words shatter what little resolve I have left.
I swallow hard. “I love you too.”
He studies me for one last second before stepping away and walking toward the far end of the corridor, phone lifting back to his ear. I watch him go and feel the jagged pieces of my heart tear at my insides.
Beside me, Luca hums quietly to himself, blissfully unaware that his world is about to split in two again.
I force myself to turn away before I lose my nerve. If I look back at the corridor too long and catch even a glimpse of Dante pacing with the phone to his ear, I won’t be able to do this.
I take Luca’s hand, squeezing it gently. “Come on, sweetheart. We’re going to take a little trip.”
He tilts his head at me, curious. “A trip?”
“Yes.” I manage a small smile. “Just for a little while.”
His brows pinch together in confusion. “What about Dante?”
My eyes sting instantly. “He’ll be coming right behind us.”
The lie tastes like ash in my mouth. Luca seems satisfied with that answer. He nods, squeezing my fingers right back, trusting me completely. That trust makes it so much worse.
I stand carefully. The stitches at my side pull slightly as I straighten, but I ignore it. Pain is a distant thing compared to what’s happening in my chest. We move quickly down the hallway opposite the one Dante disappeared down.
In only a few turns, we reach the double doors at the end of the east wing. My hand hesitates on the handle for half a second.
This is it.
There is still time to turn back.
Luca tugs at my hand. “Mama?”
I push the door open, pulling him through. The service hallway beyond is dimmer. The hum of fluorescent lights replaces the distant murmur of hospital chatter. Nicolo is already waiting there, leaning up against the wall.
He lifts his head from his phone when the door swings shut behind us. His eyes scan me first, then Luca, then the door where we’d come from. He pockets his phone slowly with a nod.
“Cutting it a little close,” he murmurs, pushing off the wall. His tone is calm, almost amused, but his gaze is sharp as it flicks past my shoulder again to make sure we weren’t followed.
I swallow hard and tighten my grip on Luca’s hand. “Sorry. It took a bit to get here.”
Nicolo studies my face for a long moment. There’s no judgment in his expression, just the same assessment he’d given me at the hospital when we met. Whatever he sees in my eyes has given him pause, though.
